Purley Oaks

On 28/02/2019 at 19:25, Clive Mortimore said:

 

Mmmm, just love that Ricky jangle...! Turn up the dirty treble

Thinking of you, Geoff, you've been through a tough one. My hospice bed had air mattresses pumping 24/7 to stop pressure sores so I'm sorry to read that a possibly preventable condition has happened. 

Sounds like you've reached your BMI weight, though!

Very best wishes to you, hope you're up and running a wee bit more now, a fortnight on.

Mal

Thank you all so much for your supportive comments and PMs. It means a lot.

Still in shock about the whole thing - it's very surreal, as though I'm a writer writing this stuff.

Think I may try for a second opinion, or at least ask if they can put a camera on a tube into my stomach and find out about the blockage from the inside rather than the scan.

The plan appears to be that I return home sometime next week to be delivered palliative care by the district nursing team. As I'm unable to process food, the sentence is to be starved to death - which I don't consider particularly humane. Goodness know how agitated (and emaciated) I'll be in a few weeks. So I wonder about the main blockage...

Meantime

Promised I'd post.

Since November I'd been having stomach problems, sickness once a week, which gradually became daily by last week. Oncologist admitted me to the Western General in Edinburgh which is where I've been for the last week. I expected them to be able to treat it and I'd be OK in no time.

The problem is the peritoneal cancer which has blocked my small bowel just below my stomach along with a few minor blockages further below. Saw my oncologist yesterday along with some surgeons. They're unable to operate (but surely there must be something else? I asked) and my body is unable to process food, and you need food to live.

So I'm on IV fluids and that's it. I've been given a few weeks, possibly not that. As you can tell the family is devastated by the news because I look well and feel great. It's just this b*gger of a thing called cancer. I'm not looking forward to the last part - organ failure - and think we treat our pets more humanely than we do ourselves. I could do with a gentle send-off into the long good night, It would save the NHS money and would save the family a lot of needless unhappiness, and would save me a lot of worry. The palliative team is coming today to see if they can get me home.

I have quite a few railway items that my family won't want and would love it if someone would offer to help dispose of them, or give advice on the disposing.

Will try and post again

Mal

Hi bit of a weird post. Been in hospital since last Thursday with bowel obstruction hoping for something from oncologist and surgeons later today. Will post more on Jock's thread later, map

Afternoon All

does any-one take Co-Codamol on a long term basis I'm having vertigo attacks and have narrowed it down

to another wonder drug as my useless Quack calls it Co-Codamol, quack said I should not have side effects 

with it PAH

 

. 

I was prescribed co-codomol for sciatica around 20 years ago. After 3 days I felt all at sea (the room was going up and down) so stopped it. I'm never good with opiods, though. When I was in hospital last February they prescribed Fentanyl for pain relief which sent the walls crawling in my head.

Yes it's 3am and yes I'm up, sleep elusive just now!

Mal

We go to Amsterdam a couple of times a year. 

Hotels: notoriously expensive to keep the stag party crowd away from anything decent. We really like the Singel Hotel and Hotel des Arts. Both are fairly central but just far enough off the beaten path. The Singel is about 10 min walk from Centraal. Arts backs onto the main shopping street. 

 

You really do need to wander around the De Wallen. Best time is earlier in the day when the asshats are sleeping off their hangovers. There are many good little shops and places to see intermixed with the seedy. 

 

Sites: Hortus Botanicus. Blomenmarkt. Rembrandtplein. Waterlooblein. Vondelpark. Dam Square. Nieumarkt. Canal cruise. Just hop a tram and go and explore randomly. Train out to Haarlem, which is a lovely little town. The architecture of the station alone is worth the visit. 

 

Brown cafes (beer) that aren't full of tossers. Louis Bar (Singel). Texels. De Prael. Brouweri t' Ij's windmill tap room. Im de Wildeman. 

 

Other stuff: Getting a Chipkart is not worthwhile if you are only visiting the once. Go with day passes for the trams. Get the GVB app for your phone. Watch your stuff. Pickpocket central around the tourist areas. Try to avoid wandering the Centrum on a Friday night. Too stupidly crowded and full of idiots. If your schedule allows it, go mid week instead of over a weekend. Much more pleasant and quieter. 

 

That should keep you busy. 

Thanks, Andrew, that's great!

Mal

Good morning all

Red on the horizon here at 0745, looks dry, no idea about the temperature.

Switched on the radio but first thing I heard was B, so switched to hear Zoe Ball and pleasantly surprised by and large. Better than the previous occupant, imho, who is off counting an extra 250,000 pound coins or so.

Quite an exciting week, really, what with the B (achmann) announcement and the other B tomorrow.

We're planning to visit Amsterdam for 5 days in June - we're Amsterdam virgins - would really appreciate hearing from any Amsterdam-experienced ERs re tips for hotels, places to stay, or indeed visit, apart from the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, and canal trips. We're not interested in the red light district, nor "coffee" shops. All advice welcome. Please PM. Thanks!

Hope your Monday goes well

Mal

Afternoon all

Glad to hear the good news, Brian!

As Mum is in hosp awaiting her op I took the opportunity to check the use by dates in her food cupboard.
Some were back to 2013, some 2014 and most were 2017 or 18.IMG_20190112_114956.jpg

 

If the product is either tinned, vacuum sealed, in a tetrapak or victim of a preservation process, i.e. corned beef, cheese, pickling, etc, where's the issue?

 

Most of the products you show are dried or include preservatives in their mix. They're probably going to involve some cooking or boiling before consumption; this will kill anything harmful that MAY be therein.

We periodically trawl through my mum's cupboards - she doesn't really like it most of the time, but it's good to get rid of stuff that's 5 or 10 years' old. Even the stuff with Best Before dates can taste stale after a while. Last week her carer found a small tin of Heinz Baked Beans a couple of years out of date; it wasn't dented, but the contents were mingin', so it was chucked away. Common sense is the main thing, as you say, but the dates do give us an indication of whether to take a little extra care, especially with older people whose immune systems may not be as good as ours.

Looking forward to Ski Sunday for the first time in almost a year!

Have a good Sunday evening

Mal

Kids today, don't know they're born.  We used to walk 400 mile cross freezing moor to 't pit...

Walk? We 'ad to crawl on our bleeding hands and scabby knees...

In 1812 the common was enclosed, our house is on the common, the land was divided between about a dozen property owners in the village.

By WW2 it was in the hands of 5 farmers, and our house had a small holding of 10 acres.

When we moved in, it was down to three farmers and our house was down to 1.5 acres.

The farm that surrounds our house is now being farmed by one of the other farmers, so it's down to two. I believe the surrounding farm just leases out the land. The children of the farmer who died a couple of years back just use the farmhouse as a holiday home. Even the deceased farmer although he was born there, from a long standing farming family, was a Harley street Doctor, and was rarely at the farm.

 

I would not be surprised to see the barns near the farmhouse becoming an " executive  development".

 

The new farmer is using the concrete pan for much more and they have another load of Sugar beet on it, between that and us is the load of Oh 'de Cowshed.

Purely a nosiness, but do you know whether the common land was given to the farmers or whether it was purchased?

Whenever I hear about enclosure of common land I imagine a 15th or 16th century monarch taking the land from the peasants working it and gifting it to some baron or other.

Morning all

Grey-ish here but bright, too.

For some reason I keep getting pop-ups from Amazon advertising quite-expensive drones at £600-a-pop. You don't think they're thinking things through to an incorrect conclusion? Also ads for underwater drones with camera.

Hope you get your drink today, Rick.

And have a good day all

Mal

 

The problem is that not only does she have a mental age of about nine she is also severely autistic. This is compounded by the mother not being present (parents are divorced) and having little interest in her or her siblings.

Yes that does make things much more challenging. Does the dad receive any help from anyone?

(edited for spelling)

Happy birthday, lightengine. Hope that surgeons are able to help your mum tomorrow.

Michael, very sorry to hear your news. You must talk to someone; it's horrible when something like this happens.

I'd offer to go for a beer or two with you, Rick, but it's a wee bit far...

Evening all, as Dixon would say,

Didn't watch Manhunt but looks like we should have. Can always go on the ITVhub thingy.

What we did see was the second episode of Les Miserables which was much better than the first; never quite realised that Victor Hugo was so clued onto social issues, a few decades before Dickens.

Watched Luther, which was preposterous; and pleased to see Silent Witness return with a good story. Problem is that forensics has been cut back - and how many teams get days to work on one case? But disbelief suspended, enjoyed it.

Hope your evenings go well

Mal

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Not sure of going out this evening as my friend who goes with me is having problems with his 16 year old daughter. Last night she didn't even go to bed instead she spent all night playing on her X-box. As a result he removed said X-box and her mobile. Last time this happened and he went out he found that she had caused some damage so he daren't leave her on her own.

16 is a very tricky age and every family handles things differently. Has you friend tried to find out what's going on with his daughter? Taking the X-box away can be seen as ramping things up. Very difficult to handle, though.

Good morning all

A very pleasant dawn here, quiet and pink. Now it's almost light, can just about make out the blue in the sky.

Thinking about Sandy's 8hr infusion today. Phew! That's a long time.

A busy day today doing my mum's shopping.

Mind you, one of the most recent to open does overlook a local Heritage Line; you might get lucky and get an apartment overlooking the line!!

My mum lives in a McCarthy and Stone block which backs onto the Edinburgh South Suburban Circle, sadly hers is not one of the flats which looks directly onto the line. I have some thoughts about McC&S; one of their ways of making money is by taking a slice of sale proceeds whenever flats are sold, I believe.

Nothing of note from yesterday, even the "red threads" seemed rather more subdued than I expected.

 

Carry on...

Thought the 59' Bulleids may have been of interest? I never thought I'd ever see those in r-t-r. Hi Debs, btw!

Have a good day everyone

Mal

Good morning one and all

 

 Earlier, I discovered that two freshly ironed socks belonging to different pairs have gone missing.  Any further searching is likely to be futile but I know, and you know, that they are in the house somewhere and are bound to turn up.  Yeah, right.

 

Morning Chris

You can save yourself some time by not ironing socks. Not only that but you'll also be helping to save the planet one step at a time ho-ho

Mal

And tears from us who again were ignored by Hornby. :cry:

Didn't you spot the Dock Authority shunters then?

Blimey! Our 40th was seven years ago

I have always been honest with my opinion when asked. The fact that I am still here to tell the tale must mean that the truth, whilst it may hurt  (and sometimes has), is appreciated.

50 for us next year (as long as she doesn't get fed up with me telling the truth!)  

You both married young then?

Morning all

Wild and windy here but probably more severe further north.

Belated congratulations to Stewart; like Jamie we celebrate our 40th this year. The actual date happens to fall over Easter so we're going to Paris a week later because Easter prices were so expensive. I know, cheapskates!

Mal, don't get me wrong - I think the Old and/or Young Pretender would have been disatrous monarchs. But, by the rules prevailing up until 1689, they should have succeeded to the throne.

There's rules and there's coups, which is what happened here, but I know what you mean pH. It's all to do with religion - the Stuarts were RC (Anne wasn't, though). King William was CofE, likewise Anne. The Bonnie Prince was RC. And somehow it still matters today, depending on the outcome of certain trade talks (ahem). Nuff said.

Nice to see the Melbourne ads; Andy Y's been busy today on the red thread.

Hope your days go well

Mal

What about Charles Edward and his daddy? Last crowned Stuart royal, yes, but with less of a claim to the throne than those two under the rules applied up until 1689.

 

But then, all of them might possibly have had less of a claim than this guy's ancestors:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abney-Hastings,_14th_Earl_of_Loudoun

Haha! Don't start! After Anne came the Hanovers, morphing into the Windsors. What did the Bonnie Prince do? Won one, lost (a big) one.

I prefer watching the Scotland-England 6Nations match!

Mal